Elizabeth Velasco for Colorado House District 57

Meet Elizabeth

Hola, I’m State Representative Elizabeth Velasco! It has been a privilege to serve you as the first Mexican-born state representative in Colorado, the first Latina legislator from the western slope, and the first open LGBTQ legislator in western Colorado.

I come from humble beginnings. I grew up low-income, living in mobile home parks in the Vail Valley, where I had to work multiple jobs to put myself through college and support my family. I know first-hand the realities that our working families face. I decided to run for office because for too long, too many of us have been left behind. We deserve leaders who take action and who put working families first.

In 2022 I ran on a platform of supporting our working families: affordable housing, language access, community resiliency, and access to clean air and clean water. I am proud to say that I delivered on my promises. I know that there is so much more work to do, and I am committed to doing it.

When I was a child in Mexico, we lived next to a plastic factory where we breathed toxic air every day. So many of our most marginalized communities live in areas where clean air and clean water are not a reality. That is why I prioritize access to clean air and clean water, and I have demonstrated this as a member of the Energy and Environment committee and prime sponsor of the Water Quality in Mobile Home Parks bill. I ran several bills to improve our wildfire resiliency and I chair the Wildfire Matters Interim Committee. I also championed affordable housing and language access during emergencies. You can read more about my work as your state legislator here.

Working families are the backbone of our state. We deserve access to resources and opportunities. Let’s continue working together for a thriving future in HD57. We are stronger together!

Meet Elizabeth

Vision

VISION

Community Resiliency

Key Issue

Environment/ Climate
Drought Resilience
Water Infrastructure/Conservation
Wildland Fire
Emergency Communications
Climate adaptation

K-12 Funding Education
Affordable Day Care
Higher Education
Workforce training

Supporting Families

Key Issue

Rural Infrastructure

Key Issue

Transportation,
Affordable & Attainable Housing
Roads and Bridges
Broadband
Evacuation routes

Access to Healthcare

Key Issue

Woman’s Reproductive Rights
Aging Population
Access to Mental Health
Access to Affordable Health Care Options
Gender affirming care

Immigrants
Small business owners
Support for our elders
LGBTQ community
Language diverse folks
People with disabilities
Low income and unhoused people
Working families

No One
Left Behind

Key Issue

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Legislative Updates

First legislative session down!

I am more committed than ever to elevating our community's voices and representing you proudly. Thank you for allowing me to be your representative.I am proud to say that I followed through on my campaign promises and priorities.

It's the honor of my life to represent House District 57. Our working families are feeling the pressure, there's so much more to do. We are stronger together for a Colorado for all!

Legislative Updates

My 2023 Bills

I ran 13 bills in the 2023 session, 11 of which passed, and many of which had bipartisan support. While I am disappointed that the Senate was unable to pass a sensible and simple bill allowing local rent control policies to address our crisis of exorbitant rents, I am so proud of the work we were able to accomplish.

Language Access

HB23-10004

HB23-1237

Housing

HB23-1257 Water Quality in Mobile Home Parks

Two of my bills passed into law impact language access: HB23-1004 protecting insurance consumers who need their documents in a language other than English, and HB23-1237 a study to examine how to standardize emergency alerts in multiple languages across the state so that we aren’t leaving anyone behind when there’s a life threatening emergency.

Two of my bills dealt with housing. HB23-1257 Water Quality in Mobile Home Parks is a bill I am so proud of, I grew up in mobile home parks and I know that these residents have lived with water that doesn’t feel safe to drink for too long. This is the first step to testing water quality across the state and taking action to fix these problems.

Public Health

SB23-054 Improving the Office of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives

HB23-1244 Regional Health Connectors Program

HB23-1072 Civil Defense Worker's Compensation

SB23-166 Establishing a Wildfire Resiliency Code Board

Many of my bills passed into law have an impact on public health:

SB23-054 Improving the Office of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives strengthens support for families missing a loved one, and improves transparency and data sharing. SB23-211 Federal Indian Child Welfare Act Of 1978 puts this federal law into CO statute, so that no matter what happens at the Supreme Court, the rights of Native children will still be upheld.

HB23-1244 Regional Health Connectors Program helps people navigate not only the healthcare system, but other supports too like food and rent assistance.

Emergency Response & Community Resiliency:

Many of my bills passed into law impact our resiliency to emergencies. HB23-1072 Civil Defense Worker's Compensation makes sure that volunteers who are recruited for fire response are covered by worker’s compensation.

SB23-166 Establishing a Wildfire Resiliency Code Board, creates a statewide board
to make codes for new construction in the wildland-urban interface. This will help our communities become safer, more fire-resistant, and minimize damage to homes.

In addition to the bills I primed/co-primed, I was very involved in bills around climate action, education, housing, agriculture, and wolf reintroduction. I advocated for policies that work for our rural part of the state, and that support vulnerable communities.

I am also very proud of what the Democratic Party was able to accomplish in the House. We passed major bills on gun violence prevention, protecting our access to reproductive and gender-affirming care, making healthcare more affordable, and getting more protections for renters. You can read the full report of what we accomplished this session clicking here.